Bird and Squirrel Feeder, Karuizawa Live Cam

A balcony feeding station in the forested hills of Karuizawa, Nagano, where tits and Japanese squirrels visit seed dishes and a stone trough. Water trickles from a thin spout into the carved basin, with potted flowers and a wire mesh screen in front of the woods.

Karuizawa is a highland resort town at about 1,000 metres, below the active volcano Mount Asama. Its cool summers have drawn visitors since the late 19th century, and many villas stand among larch woods. In 1974 a forest near Hoshino became the first national wild bird forest in Japan.

The rotating camera usually faces the trough and three dishes of sunflower seeds by day, and turns along the deck or up to the treetops at other hours. Japanese tits and varied tits come to drink and bathe, while the Japanese squirrel, a species found only in Japan, takes the seeds.